Story of Sin

Set in turn-of-the-20th-century Warsaw, this sexy 1975 drama by animator-turned-erotic-filmmaker Walerian Borowczyk—adapted from a novel by Polish author Stefan Zeromski—follows Ewa (Grazyna Dlugolecka), a beautiful and religious young virgin who gives in to carnal temptation when a handsome young boarder (Jerzy Zelnik) moves into her parents' home. While he's trying to obtain a divorce from his wife back in Italy, he introduces Ewa to the joy of sex and they embark on a passionate affair. Ending up pregnant, Ewa follows her lover back to Italy, where she finds that he has moved on, after which she falls into questionable company as she plots her vengeance. Although less sexually explicit than Borowczyk's more notorious films (such as The Beast, made the same year), Story of Sin does feature copious nudity and erotic imagery set against a ravishing backdrop of period elegance, shot in a languid manner that sometimes drags while contrasting with Ewa's spiral into degradation. The film also satirizes piety and morality as the innocent Ewa is seduced and betrayed by a series of men and is forced to turn mercenary and opportunistic in order to survive. A minor cult film, Story of Sin is presented here in a newly remastered Blu-ray/DVD Combo release, with extras including an introduction by poster designer Andrzej Klimowski, three newly restored animated shorts by Borowczyk, new interviews with Dlugolecka and others, and a booklet. Not a necessary purchase. (S. Axmaker)